Euronews

The cranes have arrived in Brétigny-sur-Orge to lift the mangled train carriages from the tracks, as authorities announce the definitive death toll hasn’t climbed as feared. Six people lost their lives in the worst train accident in France since 2008.

The clean-up operations are expected to last into Sunday as investigators begin to explore the possible causes of the fatal crash.

The French rail company SNCF believe that a steel plate connecting two tracks had come loose near the station south of Paris.

It moved to the centre of the switch, preventing the normal passage of the train’s wheels, which could have led to the dramatic derailment.

The inquiry will now focus on how the piece could have been loosened.

Checks are being carried out on 5,000 similar connections across the country.